School may not even be out for the summer, but some in the community are already planning what children will need when they return to class in August.
The Prince William County Community Foundation (PWCCF) is gearing up for its fourth annual Back-to-School Community Event, anticipated to attract as many as 8,000 attendees, a significant increase from last year’s 6,000. This year’s event, scheduled for August 3, 2024, at Unity Reed High School near Manassas, will feature a substantial giveaway of over 3,000 backpacks filled with school supplies, up from 2,500 last year.
In a continued partnership, Sentara Health, through its Sentara Cares initiative, is contributing $25,000, marking its second year as the signature sponsor. This sponsorship extends beyond the event itself, supporting ongoing vaccine clinics in Prince William County Schools, which will run throughout the summer to ensure that students receive the necessary immunizations before the new school year begins.
Dr. Vanessa Gattis, founder, president, and CEO of the PWCCF, and a retired Army civil affairs veteran, highlighted the growth in community engagement. “Each year, we see more businesses and organizations step forward to support our mission. This not only helps us reach more families but also enhances our service offerings like the vaccine clinics and our food security programs,” she said.
Last year, PWCCF’s Combating Hunger on Wheels program, also known as the “CHOW Wagon,” celebrated a milestone by distributing its 10 millionth meal in the county. The foundation, known for its broad support of local public schools, veterans, seniors, and the homeless, continues to expand its outreach and impact.
Dr. Gattis emphasized the event’s holistic approach to community support: “It’s about more than just backpacks. Our goal is to prepare children for a dynamic year ahead in school, equipped not only with the necessary supplies but also with good health ensured through our vaccination efforts.”
Community members wishing to contribute can donate supplies to help stuff the backpacks or volunteer at the event. Details on donation drop-off locations and volunteer opportunities are available on the PWCCF website.
This year’s Community Back to School Event will be held on Saturday, August 3, 2024, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Unity Reed High School near Manassas.
The 25 students in grades six through eight came to Open Space Arts at Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center on Wednesday, January 10. According to a press release from the art house, the students came to Woodbridge as part of their curriculum of growth, development, and a flourishing of their innate artistic talents in the New Year.”
“…Open Space Arts seeks to provide an inclusive environment for students to participate in enriching art events, fostering a widespread appreciation and engagement in the arts among our local youth,” states the release.
The students viewed the “Art, Literally” exhibition, which features contemporary multimedia artwork where the art house encouraged artists to challenge and push the boundaries of their artistic expression in their mediums of choice. The result is a colorful mix of abstract work and displays of certain personalities, such as Marilyn Monroe, painted on canvas.
Prince William Arts Council Chairwoman Alice Mergler spoke about valuing and developing their creative abilities.
The students who attended the field trip on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024, are in grades six through eight. More field trips to the art house like this one are scheduled for schools in Manassas, Gainesville, and Woodbridge.
Open Space Arts is a multi-discipline arts center showcasing local creativity of all forms, from 30-day exhibitions to art installations, cultural shows, live performances, and programs, and is located at Stonebridge Shopping Center, between Ulta and Loft.
The center is funded, in part, by the Prince William County Government, which provided $193,000 for nonprofit arts organizations last year.
Manassas Park Police: [On December 15, 2023] a Manassas Park Police School Resource Officer was notified of an altercation that occurred between two students at the High School. The Officer investigated the incident and charged one student with malicious wounding. The other student is being treated at a local hospital for serious injuries. The altercation was an isolated incident and due to both students being juveniles no additional information will be released.”
Manassas School Board member Sara Brescia: “Manassas City, Manassas Park, Prince William County, and the Manassas Regional Airport are currently working out details to launch an Aviation Academy that will add new CTE pathways for students to pursue career training in aviation. By 2028, students will be able to study Flight Operations, Aviation Mechanics, or Aerospace Engineering, with junior and senior year coursework taking place at the Manassas Regional Airport itself.”
“Given the staffing shortages in aviation, many local, state, and national aviation companies are eager to sponsor programs such as these, and so the Board has been optimistically–but cautiously–informed that the private grants and sponsorship landscape looks promising for this program.”
“It is an exciting opportunity that utilizes one of the City’s main assets, and I will be excited to watch this program take off! (Get it?)”
Insidenova.com: “Del. Dan Helmer of Fairfax County announced Wednesday morning that he is joining the race for the Democratic nomination in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District next year.”
“Helmer, a U.S. Army veteran who was first elected in 2019, led the House Democratic Caucus’ campaign effort this fall, which resulted in Democrats picking up three seats and regaining control of the chamber.”
To help ensure every child in Prince William County has a healthy start to the new school year, vaccines, dental screenings and cleanings, and school supplies will be offered at no charge during a two-day Community Back-to-School Event on August 11 and 12:
The free vaccine and dental clinic will take place on Friday, August 11, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at two locations:
- Unity Braxton Middle School, 10100 Lomond Drive, Manassas, VA
- Freedom High School, 15201 Neabsco Mills Road, Woodbridge, VA
The free Community Back-to-School Event (and school supply distribution) will take place on Saturday, August 12, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at:
- Freedom High School, 15201 Neabsco Mills Road, Woodbridge, VA
Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center is proud to be one of the sponsors of this Prince William County Community Foundation initiative. Sentara will also have its Family Health Connection Mobile Clinic available on August 12 to provide primary care services to adults who qualify.
Click here for more information.
The latest plans for a replacement of Jennie Dean Elementary School feature another pre-kindergarten to fourth-grade elementary school built with the same layout as Baldwin Intermediate and Elementary School, which opened in 2016.
Lewis is an Emmy, Tony, GRAMMY, and SAG Award nominee  Accompanied by a trio of musicians on the intimate Merchant Hall stage, Lewis’ performance will include stories and songs that highlight his accomplished career on stage and screen, giving Hylton Center audiences a chance to experience “just about everything a leading man with a mighty voice should be,” The New York Times worte.
In addition to a performance featuring songs from his career, Lewis will host a masterclass at the Hylton Center the following day with high school students from Prince William County, Manassas, and Manassas Park on September 19.
As of September 2, local high schools included in the masterclass are Colgan, Osbourn Park, Woodbridge, Osbourn, and Manassas Park. The closed opportunity for area students is organized through the Hylton Center’s Education Initiative. It is part of the Hylton Center’s commitment to providing local students with opportunities to work with national and international caliber artists.
“George Mason University is such a revered institution with a rich and cultural history, and I’m so honored to join the community on one of their stages,” said Lewis in a press release.
Tickets to An Evening with Norm Lewis are $70, $55, $40, and half-price for youth through Grade 12. Tickets are available at the Hylton Center Ticket Office (open Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.), by calling 703-993-7759 or the Hylton Center website.
The performance takes place in the Hylton Performing Arts Center’s Merchant Hall, located at 10960 George Mason Circle, Manassas, Virginia. Full details for what to expect when attending performances at the Hylton Center are available on the Hylton Center website.
Manassas Park joins neighboring Prince William County, which welcomed back more than 90,000 students today.
In Manassas Park, most students return to class today, while kindergarteners will return tomorrow, Tuesday, August 23. It’s the second year for Manassas Park Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Melissa Saunders, who joined the city in April 2021 after working next door at Manassas City Public Schools.
One significant change this year: Manassas Park won’t field a high school football team.
Newly-released data from the Virginia Department of Education show Manassas Park scored higher on its Standards of Learning tests when compared to last year.
Math scores for all students are up 13 points, with just over half of the students earning a passing score. Nearly 60% of the students passed history and reading.
Of the three racial breakouts, black, white, and Hispanic, students in the latter category continue to underperform. Fifty-five percent passed reading, 56% passed writing, 54% history, and only 44% math.
By comparison, 74% of white students passed reading, 63% writing, 77% history, and 65% math. Black students passed reading at 65%, 67% for writing, 57% for history, and 59% for math.
In 2019, in the months leading up to Gov. Ralph Northam’s manded closure of school buildings due to the coronavirus, scores in Manassas Park were much higher.
Sixty-seven percent passed reading, 69% wrote, 78% sciences, and 77% math.
Northam was the first governor in the U.S. to shutter public school buildings in March 2020.
Over the weekend, Prince William School Board Chairman At-large Babur Lateef posted to his Twitter account, “never forgive, never forget” the politicians, public health officials, and media that provided “false information” to “keep schools closed.”
Lateef later deleted the Tweet. He told Potomac Local News that, at first, Northam was warranted to take the unprecedented measure to close schools in March 2020. However, schools should have reopened by July, he added.
